The subject invention relates to environmental control devices utilized in roofing systems in general, and is directed to an apparatus and system for controlling moisture levels inside the building and particularly within and adjacent the insulation layers adjacent the the roof deck in a building. The subject invention is basically adapted to draw relatively dry air from outside the building at times when the relative humidity of the outside air is at a low level and thence ingest same and disperse same through a series of pipes which empty the relatively dry air into the insulation layers that are generally emplaced immediately beneath the roof structure.
In this latter respect, most buildings of recent vintage, irrespective of whether a pitched roof or a flat roof is employed, usually have a layer of insulation placed either immediately below the roof level for heat preservation purposes. This instulatin layer, in flat roofs, as used generally in commercial buildings, is frequently juxtaposed immediately below the undersurface of the flat roof. In some installations there may be a relatively narrow air gap between the undersurface of the roof deck and the insulation layer, which gap is provided for circulation purposes for purposes of alleviating the moisture problem in the insulation layers.
There have been an array of inventions conceived and produced to dehydrate the insulation material so as to prevent damage to the roof and building infrastructure. Several such inventions have been structured as simple ventilating systems that do nothing more than direct air currents over a portion of the insulation layer controlled mechanically arbitrarily by an operator. However, none of the known systems have utilized an integral system that effectively provides a controlled flow of relatively drive air both within and immediately outside the insulation material. The subject system is not to be confused with air conditioning systems used in modern buildings. None of the known systems, including automatic air conditioning systems, provide any methodology for automatically controlling air characteristics in the roof structure itself. It is this state of art and general problem area that gives rise to the conception of the subject invnetion, and the following designated objects of the subject invneiton are directed accordingly.